Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 4: Advisor to Lt. Governor, K K Sharma today visited the saffron park at Dusso Pampore in Pulwama to see the facilities being set up at the Saffron Research Station and also to get an overview and evaluate the preparedness besides address the quality parameters required to be maintained under GI tagging of saffron.
Director Agriculture, Altaf Aijaz Andrabi, Joint Director Agriculture Iqbal Chowdhary and other senior officers were accompanying the Advisor.
The Advisor went around the upcoming facilities and was informed that the Research Centre would be having all the state of art facilities for extraction, packing of the locally produced saffron besides e- auctioning.
While referring to the recent development of the Kashmir saffron getting the GI Tagging, the Advisor said that it can encourage and motivate the marketers to expand their business at global level besides the protection of Geographical Indicator boosts exports and ensures that the growers get best remuneration for their produce.
The Advisor while complimenting the Secretary Agriculture and Director Agriculture Kashmir for undertaking the initiative for getting the GI tagging said that the efforts of the department have resulted in the grant of this prestigious mark. He said that it will ensure that the exports of the saffron would register an increase and the farming community would get benefited.
Highlighting the achievement the Director Agriculture, Kashmir, Altaf Aijaz Andrabi said that GI is a sign on products that have a specific geographical origin and the product may have special quality or reputation. He added that the prime purpose of registering a geographic indication is to seek protection for specific products produced in a particular geographic region.
The Advisor later distributed nine refrigerated vans worth Rs 5 crore at Agriculture complex , Lal Mandi aimed at providing controlled air conditioning facilities to the farmers for exporting their produce within the districts, UT and to other states. The step would ensure better marketing facilities to the farmers which would result in improving their economic profile.
While speaking on the occasion, the Advisor said that the step would go a long way in ensuring better marketability of the vegetable produce of the farmers in different districts. He said that budgetary provision for the same was provided in 2019-2020 and it is for first time that these vans have been procured for the benefit of farming community.
The Advisor also visited Floriculture Development Park set up by the Agriculture Department for extraction of the oil from Aromatic plants. He was informed that the department has recently set up the plant which would be producing quality aromatic oils for marketing the same both within Jammu and Kashmir and outside.
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